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“I cannot fuckin’ believe ya!!” yelled one angry Jonathan Kent as red eyes shone under his pronounced scowl. His usually cheery face was twisted into a very menacing stance for anyone who doesn't sport an S on their chest or, well... Damian himself.
“That’s a big word coming from you, hayseed”, Damian replied unbothered, without even raising his eyes off the document he was reading.
“I’m serious, Damian” asserted the half-Kryptonian as he slapped the pile of papers under his boyfriend's nose.
“I have no idea what you are talking about, Jonathan” cut Damian, as if he wasn't shocked at the exasperation the man had just shown. “Would you prefer to elaborate, or shall I start guessing?” he inquired with a displeased arched brow as he crossed his arms, back straight against the chair.
Jon snorted indignantly raising from the desk to his full height, eyes back to blue, but jaw still clenched tight while staring at the smaller man.
“YOU--” he started, pointing a finger to Damian “--are using the League for blackmailing and threatening politicians and C.E.O.s all over the world so they behave”, he accused, with cartoonish quote signs in the air.
“And your point is?” Damian waved his hand for Jon to continue if the occurrence was typical of his current schedule.
Jon blinked once, twice...
"Yer kiddin’, right?" He said in disbelief.
“Why would I? And, how did you know?” intervened Damian with that dry tone of voice the Bat people liked to use in a mission in order to play the collected cynical guy.
Jon hated that tone so much.
“Excuse me?” he tried to sound offended as possible.
“How?!” Damian repeated glaring at Jon.
“Brainiac told me” pff...obviously. Damian laughed bitterly, arms to the air.
“Of course he did”
“That’s ALL you have to say?”
"What do you expect me to say? You already came to throw a tantrum because your chlorophyllic best friend told you I misbehaved, Jonathan--"
"So, it’s TRUE!"
"Ask your green groupie, not ME!"
"DAMIAN!"
"WHAT?!"
"You’re being RIDICULOUS!"
"AM I?!"
"YES! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?"
"WHY DO YOU THINK?"
"WE COULD HELP YOU TO FIND--"
"--NOW IT'S WE?!" Damian interrupted in the middle of the yelling and, Rao, things were getting nastier and more out of proportion with every blow. This easily continued in a row for at least the next fifteen minutes. Things had escalated so fast that the Flash would have been jealous of how quickly it got out of hands, and both of them knew it, but neither of them planned to yield nor conceal.
"I don’t know what is your dang problem with Brainiac," Damian opened his mouth to start listing every single one of his problems with that little piece of koala’s shit who used to cling all over his boyfriend ALL-THE-FUCKING-TIME, but Jonathan didn’t give him a chance to interrupt, raising his hand in front of him. If Damian had been the one with powers, Jonathan would have had a hole in his face right there. How dare he?
"Babe. I love you…" Jon declared, and even when Damian’s heart skipped a beat as it always did, no matter how many times he heard him say it, something didn’t feel right.
"But…" he held his breath,"…I’m tired of fighting." Continued the guy he loved so much in a tone of finality.
The cold instantly ran through his veins. His eyes were glassy and he was already on his feet, feeling the tiniest in front of Jon. His pulse drummed in his ears, and he was trying to remember why they were fighting in the first place?
He was exhausted, too.
"You started--!"
Jon stared into his eyes, defeated. They were so close that he could feel the thick breath of the other tingling over their skins.
"That doesn’t matter, Dames," Damian kept quiet. "That’s not what a hero does, and you should know that." Jon closed his eyes, pressing their foreheads together with a hurt expression.
"I’m no hero, Jon. You should already know that," said Damian in almost a whisper, leaning forwards to catch their lips in a so needed kiss but found a cheek instead.
That… that had never happened before.
Jon sighed, taking apart without facing him.
"You used to be one… one that I admired." He concluded without further ado and left.
He just …left.
He left.
…
The sun's last rays were fading into the horizon as he watched how the first stars merged from the darkness, tingling as they were giggling into the cloudless sky.
His body ached and the cold wind from the Kadhim’s night made him shudder, he was regretting his decision to train instead of taking a long warm bath right after coming back from the last mission as he sheathed his sword. Jon was still not talking to him. Almost two weeks had passed since that outrageous fight they had but he wasn’t going to be the one to say sorry this time. First, because he believed he was right and didn't regret his actions, and second, because he had pride. The pride of a warrior, the pride of a leader, the pride of a brooding man.
“Rraff!" A wet nose pressed into his palm, surprising him.
"Hi, boy," He responded softly, turning and kneeling on one knee to be at the level of Le Gran Danois’ eyes. Damian smiled, running a loving hand over his black fur, spotted with some grays tones for his old age. "Did you miss me?"
"Rraff Rraff!" He seemed to answer with slimy licks over his face.
Damian barely moved his head to the side, pressing his lips and clutching his eyes to avoid at least a little of saliva. No need to say that it was a lost fight from the start.
"At least someone does" He grumbled, wiping his face with the back of his hand to be greeted then by a pair of big round pretty judgmental brown eyes. In Titus’ defense, he probably was tired of hearing Damian growling, groaning, complaining -and other synonymous- about his stupid boyfriend and his stupider friend of who he was absolutely NOT jealous about.
"I will not give into his childish demands motivated by emotional arguments riddled with naivety!" He reasoned with the large canine.
"Rrff.."
"I won’t--"
"Rrff…"
He swallowed a heavy sigh, it was demoralizing that even his dog was on Jon’s side. Okay, maybe he should be more honest about his not heroic activities, but it would have been nice if Jon had asked him before pointing an accusatory finger just because his flamboyant new best friend told him so. And he wasn’t jealous, it was this Brainiac's attitude around Jon that crimped him out, all legionnaires per se, but Brainiac and that blondie witch in particular. It was like Jon-- his Jon-- was a kind of… trophy for them. A trophy from the past, the true Superman as they called him while he, Damian, was the worst thing could happen to their pristine child. Not that he needed help feeling like that.
Titus whined and pushed him to the ground. He fell on his buttocks as the large dog licked his face relentlessly while waving his tail in excitement.
"Stop it, you old sack!" Damian laughed, laughed till tears started falling. But, his longtime companion wiped them all. Sometimes Damian wondered how his life would have been without this eagerly buffoon around but he didn't want to think about that. Not here, not now, not ever.
“You're a good boy, you're the best boy, Titus…”
***
"I’m tellin’ you, Kathy, is his fault--!" he complained falling onto the bed overdramatically.
“Dad it gum, Jonno. You’re both stubborn as rocks” Kathy replied with a huff while braided her golden locks. One look the girl has kept from her younger age.
"I know that but, but… but he’s insanely jealous about Brainy, not even Imra triggered this much hate and I actually dated her…"
"Aishrrr… let’s not remember that." She gagged in disgust from the long forgotten memory.
Jon rolled his eyes. “I’m bein’ serious, Kat. I dunno what his problem is! First, he does all this bad guy act because he's the new Demon’s Head, and now goes mayors with threatin’ and blackmailin’. THREATIN’ AND BLACKMAILIN’, KATHERINE! Then, instead of tellin’ me-- MEEE? Instead of bein’ honest, I had to fin’ it out cos' Brainy is randomly uploadin his 21st century’s data. But, ‘course is the ultimate aggravation cos is Brainiac who told me. Why?! Why does he hate him so much? It’s because he's green? Because he's an alien? What?! I cannot fin’ the reason--!"
"Wow…"
"Yeah… Wow!"
"No. WOW, you!"
"Me?"
"Yeah… it doesn’t hurt you havin’ your head so far up your ass?"
"Hey!" He sat hugging his cat shaped pillow, leaving his legs out of the bed.
"I’m serious, Jonno… First, I’m green, and an alien, and Damian loves me!" Kathy explained while polished her nails in a pretty pink tone.
"No, he doesn’t."
"Pff…‘Course he does," She said, so secure of her statement. "Second, I’m jealous too ‘bout this Brainiac, and I’m not riding your dick, cowboy!"
"OH MY GOD, BRANDEN!!" Jon aggressively reddened and threw the pillow at her. She rejected it with her telekinesis, of course.
"Why this puritan mindset, Boy Scout? As if we didn’t notice how much sand you've got on your thighs from the desert every time you go for a quick visit to your boyfriend~" She wiggled her brows, making Jon flush even more, wanting to be swallowed by the pillow she threw back at him.
"That’s… that's not the point!"
"I know, I know," she laughed, hard. "The thing is… it would be nice if you asked first."
"But…"
"Wait," she stopped him from interrupting her, "...and, yeah, Damian probably wouldn't give you too many details, but maybe he wouldn’t feel attacked by you. You should really leave work out of the bedroom, bro…"
Jon sighed. "I know, but some things are not negotiable."
"Right, right but… How different is this threatening from Batman’s intimidation of Gotham's criminals? How different is this blackmailing from Bruce galas? The fancy dresses? I mean… Why can you look the other way for Bruce, but not for Damian? Do you really know who those people are?" Jon opened his mouth like a fish out of water. He… he didn’t think about that. "And, boo… I don’t really think your other green, but not fabulous as me, friend of you, is so innocent about all this, and you’re an idiot for not noticing."
"Oh my god!"
"You realized you’re an idiot?"
"No…yes… it's not that--!"
"What is it, then?"
"Dames…" He held his breath for a second, trying to focus his super listening. "He’s crying…"
"What?!"
"I have to go!"
***
Damian awoke with this bad feeling, chest heaving as he breathed in short gasps of air. His eyes burned and the incessant glow seeping from the windows forced him to turn onto his side. He was sure he was being irrational but the bad feeling didn’t fade. Something was wrong. He stretched his hand over the sheets to tear them away. He was alone.
"Titus… Boy? Where are you?" He called for the dog that usually slept at his feet.
He was shivering. It was very early, and the temperature still hadn't risen as usual, but it wasn’t the cold that made him tremble.
"Boy?" His voice sounded broken. He jumped out of bed, searching for him under the covers again, as if he would magically appear under them. He looked around the bedroom as the cold sweat covered his skin. He stumbled over the night table, screaming from the sudden hit as he saw him. His black glossy fur, once spotless, shinning under the morning sun. He was quiet, so quiet, laid down in front of the bathroom door.
Damian fell on his knees, not really conscious of his surroundings, everything was blurred and he crawled toward his oldest friend calling his name with no response.
It cannot be… No, no, no, no…Shit, shit, shiiiiiit. He cannot lose him, not like this, not now, not….
“Ti…Titus?” He whimpered reaching his hand towards him as the time stopped.
…
…
"Arff?" the dog startled in alert, looking disoriented as Damian fell over and hugged him in despair, laughing broken while tears flowed endlessly.
“You… scared me to shit” He cried harder, quivering senseless unconnected words.
"Dami?!" He heard the familiar voice behind him, but he was unable to lift his face from the dog's back. "Babe?" Jon called again with the same result. "Are you okay?" He asked between gasps, approaching the scene as the canine sniffed his boy’s hair.
"I thought… I thought I… lost him." Hiccuped Damian, muffled by Titus’ coat.
Jon’s heart irremediably melted. Damian always has been a loving and compassionate person, with his flaws of course just as much as him, but not matter how much he seemed to change over the years he still was the same stubborn, kind kid that loved his dog with all his heart. The same kid that he fell in love with from the very start.
“It’s okay, babe, he is fine, he’s here…” He comforted Damian, rubbing his back and pressing butterfly kisses on his shoulder. “As I am too…and I'll always be” The self-realization hit him as one undeniable true. He crossed half of the world in middle of the night on his jogs and the ugliest crocs ever for Damian, and he would do the same all over again and again and again not matter how upset they could be with the other. He'll be there for him. And, Damian knew it so well that he didn’t question his presence there but relieved.
“Not… true-”, breathed Damian collecting himself as Titus rested his big head on his lap looking at him. A sad smile crossing his lips. “You’ll leave too”, Jon wasn’t sure if Damian was talking to him, or Titus or…
“You’re talkin’ about the Legion?” Jon asked, circling the broad shoulders of his lover with one arm. Damian accepted the touch and leaned into it, keeping silent for a long minute.
“No”
“So?”
"I’m not good for you." He said it as a matter of fact.
"What?!" Jon exclaimed, high pitched. "Why would you think that?!"
"Everyone thinks that. I think that. You’ll be better with anyone else… especially that..." He gritted his teeth, trying to not start insulting the little piece of shit "… Brainiac."Jon breathed out a laugh. Damian, and Titus, glared at him.
"Babe," he started. "The only one that has a word on who is or isn’t good for me is… me. And, you’re a good man, D” It felt so good to said it loud.
Damian blushed and kept looking at him with tender eyes that stopped his heart throbbing. “No one is perfect” He continued, “I’m certainly not. So don’t be too hard on yourself either ‘cos I really really believed you are, D. And I love you... And, I chose you. As I chose you back in our teens, I choose you now and I’ll choose you every day for the rest of our lives”.
“Wha…” Damian lost the track of his thoughts and got caught in a kiss, a deep and loving kiss that took his breathe away and made his toes curl. Titus’ tail wiggled like the seven months puppy he was the first time he met his boy, watching them expectantly.
"I love you, Damian Wayne Al Ghul," declared Jon into his lover's mouth before pressing their lips together again. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my days with you."
"Just to be clear…" Interrupted Damian, parting far enough to see into his beloved’s eyes. "… You’re proposing to the Demon’s Head."
Jon chuckled, this guy was impossible. Titus growled and some could even say he rolled his eyes. "If the Demon’s Head would forgive my bullshit and--?"
"It was my fault too, I should apologize."
"Babe… it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m sorry, you’re sorry, we both stubborn as rocks, let’s move on."
"You were talking to Branden."
"How…? Doesn’t matter," Jon shuddered, denying with his shaking head. "What do you think? Can I be the Demon’s Consort? Is that even a thing?"
Damian chuckled.
"Maybe it is now," he kissed Jon one more time.
"Good, and I promise Brainiac won’t be in the wedding."
"Oh, no…he will. He will be your best man and he will see me marrying you from the front line, you can bet that."
"Come on… you’re still jealous!"
"I’m not… I never was…"
"Pff… of course you’re not!"
"I’ll never admit such--!"
"That doesn’t mean it’s not true!"
They started rambling all over again as Titus left them alone, curling himself into his bed, the one that he only used when Jonathan stayed over because he was a good boy, the best boy.